Iconic Moments: A post is crowned Man of the Match! (December 2016)

West Ham United were struggling to settle into their new home of the London Stadium. Although they did win their first match at the ground against AFC Bournemouth, the Hammers’ had only followed that up with nervy wins over Sunderland and Burnley. In December 2016, struggling Hull City were the latest visitors’ to the stadium in Stratford.

Hull outplayed their opponents throughout and only the goal frame denied them taking the lead on three separate occasions. Mark Noble headed an effort against his own crossbar, whilst Andrew Robertson and Dieumerci Mbokani saw efforts also hit the post. Hull had 16 shots on-goal but somehow failed to score. They ultimately lost the game too. A controversial penalty awarded for a challenge on Michail Antonio was converted by the reliable Noble. West Ham won 1-0 but the fans were unimpressed with the performance.

On Twitter, the club asked fans to vote for their Man of the Match. The winner was ‘The Post,’ taking the award with 57 per cent of the vote. They had made their feelings clear.

West Ham’s home form never really improved, although they did enjoy a 1-0 victory over title-chasing Tottenham Hotspur in May 2017. They will be hoping for better in 2017-2018 and no more victories for the ‘The Post’ when it comes to their Man of the Match award.